SAEDNEWS: This tiny, soufflé-like chocolate cake puffs up into an impossibly flaky top, collapses into molten, fudgy crumbs, and will make you cancel every bakery run from now on.
According to SAEDNEWS, chocolate cake is one of the most popular cakes worldwide. Its preparation is very easy, allowing you to make it at home and enjoy its exceptional taste. This simple cocoa cake can be served for breakfast or as an afternoon treat.
4 ounces (115 grams) semi- or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped or chips
4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons cognac or brandy, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, separated
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the bottom of a 6-inch springform pan with 2½–3-inch sides with parchment and lightly butter or spray the sides. If you worry the springform might leak, wrap the outside tightly in foil. Set the pan on a baking sheet.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a large bowl — either in 30-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, or set the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Remove from heat and whisk in half the sugar (¼ cup / 50 g), the salt, and the cognac. Whisk in the yolks, one at a time, until smooth.
In a separate medium-large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until thickened to the consistency of loose whipped cream. Gradually add the remaining ¼ cup (50 g) sugar while beating until soft peaks form. Spoon about a quarter of the whipped whites into the chocolate mixture and whisk to lighten it. Gently fold the remaining whites into the chocolate until no streaks remain.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 20–25 minutes, until the center dome barely wobbles when you jiggle the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out free of wet batter (a few gooey crumbs are fine). Transfer to a rack to cool. You can cool the cake completely in the pan, but loosening the springform sides when the cake is half-cooled helps produce a nicer flaky top: run a knife around the edge to loosen it. The cake will sink as it cools.
I prefer this cake fully chilled, so I often refrigerate it for an hour or two before serving. Dust with powdered sugar and slice into small wedges; serve with whipped cream and berries if you like. The cake will keep in the fridge for up to a week (though in our house that’s unlikely) and freezes well.
Can I use a non-spring form 6-inch pan with shorter 2-inch sides? Yes, but with caveats. The cake tends to mushroom above the rim; while it didn’t overflow for me, the edges can dry and flake off, and you’ll lose some of the flaky top texture.
Bittersweet (≈72%) or semisweet (≈60%) chocolate — which is better? Both work. Since this recipe uses less chocolate than many flourless cakes, it can handle a more bitter chocolate without becoming too intense.
Can I beat the egg whites by hand? You can — it’s a workout, but it’s doable.
Can I double this? Absolutely. For a larger celebration, bake it in a 9-inch springform; baking time will be about 35–40 minutes.
Source note: I didn’t start with this exact formula — I adapted a flourless chocolate cake I liked, reduced the chocolate, and separated the eggs. The end result has a similar light, low-chocolate lift to Richard Sax’s Chocolate Cloud Cake; consider this a nod to that inspiration.
